Preventative printer maintenance

It is a good idea to regularly carry out preventative maintenance on your inkjet printer to prevent the print heads from clogging up.

• Print heads will become blocked when the printer is not used for long periods of time; you should regularly print a couple of pages out every week to keep the print heads clear. Some experts say it’s better to print out one colourful page a week than to run a printer cleaning cycle, because doing so actually uses a lot less ink!
• You should always turn the printer off when it is not in use, this can save the print heads from getting clogged up with dried ink. If you leave the printer turned on the ink inside the cartridge will get warm and this can cause it to bleed onto the printer head and dry.
• If you need to store your printer, always remove the ink cartridges before doing so. Never touch the print head with oily or dirty hands, as this can leave oil on the print head and add to the possibility of it becoming clogged.
• Printer cleaning cycles should be started once a week to prevent the print heads from drying out.

There are also other more ink friendly ways to clean your printer heads that will prevent them from blocking up just as effectively as running the printers cleaning program.

• Brush the printer heads with some cotton buds soaked in water and gently wipe the print until all dried ink is removed.
• Purchase a cleaning kit and use it regularly on the printer. A typical printer cleaning kit has a tube of ammonia that you can spray on the print head to remove dried ink.

You should always cover the printer with a dust sheet when it’s not being used to protect it from dust and debris and this also helps to protect the print heads from becoming clogged!